The Caesar Salad with chicken original recipe wasn’t born in Italy, as many might think from the name, but was created by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who owned restaurants in San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico.
The most accredited story tells that the Caesar Salad was born on a weekend of July 4, 1924 (or around that time, as the exact date is debated, but we’re in the ’20s). Cardini’s restaurant in Tijuana was crowded and the kitchen was running low on supplies. To cope with the demand and not disappoint customers, Cardini improvised a recipe with ingredients he had on hand: romaine lettuce, olive oil, boiled eggs (using the “coddled” technique, meaning briefly boiled to make them thick but not fully cooked), lemon juice (or lime), Worcestershire sauce, garlic, croutons, and Parmesan cheese.
Original Caesar Salad: Romaine lettuce, olive oil, coddled eggs, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, croutons, and Parmesan cheese.
Chicken: Added much later (from the ’80s-’90s onward) to make the salad a more substantial meal.
Anchovies: Not in the original. Their inclusion is a later interpretation, often to intensify the flavor or due to confusion about Worcestershire sauce composition.
Below, I’ll leave you other chicken salads to try and retry, and then we’ll go right under the picture to discover how to prepare the Original Caesar Salad Recipe with Chicken!!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Original Caesar Salad with Chicken
- 1.1 lbs chicken breast
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 3 eggs (medium)
- 2.8 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (sliced or cubed)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil (to cook the chicken)
- 2 pinches salt
- to taste black pepper
- 4 slices bread (we used whole grain)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 pasteurized egg yolks (or very fresh)
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 fillets anchovies in oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
- to taste black pepper
Preparation of Original Caesar Salad with Chicken
Pound the chicken breasts slightly to have an even thickness. Season them with salt and pepper.
Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken breasts for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until they are golden and cooked through.
Let them rest for a few minutes, then cut them into strips or cubes.
Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover them with cold water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes for hard-boiled eggs with a well-cooked but creamy yolk.
Drain the eggs and run them under cold running water to stop the cooking, then peel them and cut them into wedges or rounds.
Cut the bread into cubes of about 0.8 inches, we used whole grain bread, but rustic bread or baguette works fine.
In a bowl, mix the olive oil with the minced garlic, add the bread cubes, and mix well to coat them evenly.
Brown them in a pan, turning a couple of times until they are crispy. Let them cool.
Using an immersion blender, combine the yolks (or the whole egg), garlic clove, anchovies (optional), lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard (if using), blend until smooth.
Slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil, continuing to blend, like for a mayonnaise, until the dressing thickens and emulsifies, taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Wash and dry the romaine lettuce very well, then tear it into large pieces and place it in a large bowl.
Or arrange the leaves slightly overlapping at the bottom of a serving dish.Add some of the Caesar dressing to the lettuce, ensuring each leaf is well coated.
Top with chicken strips, hard-boiled egg wedges, and croutons.Finish with plenty of Parmesan shavings, place 3 generous spoonfuls of Caesar dressing amidst all the ingredients and serve.
Alternatively, you can tear the romaine lettuce by hand, place it in a large salad bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, the Caesar dressing, and mix well to emulsify all the ingredients.
Storage, Tips, and Variations for Original Caesar Salad with Chicken
You can prepare the dressing, chicken, and croutons in advance and assemble the Caesar Salad before serving.
You can replace the raw yolks with mayonnaise.
You can season the bread cubes with freshly chopped parsley before browning them in the pan.
I recommend serving the Caesar Salad immediately after dressing it.
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